Dolman's main base is in Sydney, however we regularly place lawyers into top roles in other State capitals (and sometimes rurally).  Most of our law firm clients and many corporate clients have offices throughout Australia.

Dolman consultants regularly conduct face-to-face interviews in all States in order to offer the best service to candidates and clients.  We also regularly place lawyers who are returning or relocating to Australia from overseas.  Contact one of our consultants for more information.

Visas – Do I have the right to work in Australia?

New Zealand citizens do not need a work visa to work in Australia.  People who have a different status will be required to obtain a visa that allows them to work in Australia from the Department of Immigration.

Foreign lawyers may obtain a work visa under either the Employer Nomination Scheme or the Skilled – Independent visa.  The former allows Australian employers to sponsor employees who are foreign nationals for a permanent visa to work in Australia.  The Skilled – Independent visa uses a points test to select visa applicants with characteristics needed in the Australian labour market.  If you are a solicitor between the ages of 18 and 45 with good English language skills it is most likely that you will meet the requisite criteria.

These visas allow you and any dependent family members to live as permanent residents in Australia.

Practicing as a Solicitor in Australia

New Zealand lawyers do not need to sit any additional exams in order to be admitted in New South Wales (NSW).  The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 enables New Zealand solicitors or barristers to be able to apply for automatic admission as NSW solicitors.

Lawyers admitted in other jurisdictions must complete or receive exemption from the academic and practical legal training stages of qualification in NSW.  The Legal Profession Admissions Board may provide exemptions or partial exemptions to these stages, the extent of which depend on your qualifications and experience.

Similar requirements exist for foreign solicitors who wish to be admitted in other Australian states.

Key Firms

The top law firms in Sydney are:

Allens Arthur Robinson
Baker & Mckenzie

Blake Dawson Waldron

Clayton Utz
Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Deacons

Freehills
Gilbert + Tobin

Mallesons Stephens Jaques

Minter Ellison

These law firms have offices in most state capitals in Australia.  All firms offer a complete range of commercial law services, with each firm boasting particular areas of expertise.

Gilbert + Tobin is widely recognised as a leading commercial firm with noted expertise in technology and communications, growing from 2 lawyers in 1988 to a 200 person legal team in 2002.  Atanaskovic Hartnell is a top tier specialist Australian firm. John Atanaskovic was named by UK Legal Business in 1999 as one of the world’s top ten corporate lawyers.

Legal Salaries

Salaries for lawyers working in a law firm in Sydney are approximately:

Salaries indicated include superannuation 

Taxation

There is a progressive personal tax system in Australia, with most employees being on the PAYE system, in which tax is deducted by your employer.  The rates for the 2007/2008 income year are as follows:

The above rates do not include the Medicare Levy of 1.5% 

To register for tax in Australia you need to apply at the Australian Taxation Office for a tax file number.  GST is charged on most goods and services at a rate of 10%.  The tax year starts on 1 July and ends on 31 June each year.

Superannuation

Australia has a compulsory superannuation scheme in which 9% of your salary up to a threshold of $134,880 will be paid into a nominated super fund by your employer. Salaries will vary depending on whether they are inclusive or exclusive of superannuation, so this fact should be clarified with your prospective employer.

If you decide to leave Australia permanently after working for a time, you can rollover your superannuation into a trustee fund of choice provided that fund is Australian. Currently, the superannuation scheme provides no protocol to transfer your accumulated funds. This means that your superannuation will stay in Australia until you reach retirement age or the protocol changes.

Heath care

The public health care scheme in Australia is called Medicare, and will provide members with free treatment in public hospitals and free or subsidised treatment by doctors, specialists, optometrists and dentists.  You may register as a member of Medicare if you hold:

·         Australian citizenship;

·         A permanent residence visa;

·         New Zealand citizenships;

·         A valid visa with permission to work in Australia;

·         A valid visa and a parent, spouse or child who is an Australian citizen; or

·         Permanent residence status.

In addition, Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with New Zealand, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Malta and Norway.  This entitles citizens of those countries to receive emergency medical treatment whilst in Australia.

Private health cover can also be obtained from a number of local private insurers. There is a federal government rebate on private health insurance.

Banking

Opening a bank account in Sydney is very straightforward.  There are a number of different banks, the biggest being the National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ Bank, Westpac, Colonial State Bank and St. George Bank.  To open an account at any of these banks you will need to provide 100 points of ID (a passport and birth certificate will satisfy this requirement) and some money to deposit into the account.

Credit cards are not generally issued to foreigners until 6-12 months after they have commenced working in Australia, so you are advised to retain an overseas credit card, or an international card, such as American Express.

Transport